Tabs below answer questions you may have about a variety of Widget Program topics. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. if you have other questions.
Widget Options
-
What widgets options are available?
Two types of options are available:
Are unsolicited designs considered?Yes. Designs are welcome from students, artists, graphic designers, and teachers. Anyone, really.
Is a CO2 widget available for Facebook?
Not now. If you have an interest in contributing to the development of a CO2 widget for Facebook, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. When a group of people with the right mix of skills comes together, we can get the job done.
Is a CO2 app available for my smartphone?
Not now. If you have an interest in contributing to the development of a CO2 app, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Usage Options
-
Are the widgets free?
Yes.
And thank you for using a widget. It helps us help more people to track and learn about the planet we share—and about climate stabilization. Is there any compensation better than helping us save our planet?
Do the widgets come with a usage licence?
Yes. See the Show.earth licence page for details.
Can I sign up for an email notice of improvements to the widget code?
Yes. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Changes in source widget code are infrequent, so don’t expect many emails.
Can I use the graphics in the widgets?
Generally, “yes.” Most graphics are subject to a Creative Commons BY-ND licence. See the Show.earth licence page for details.
Is the widget program a fly-by-night initiative?
No. This widget program launched the original CO2 web widget in 2008. It has been running since then without interruption. In 2015, the program moved to its own website—here at Show.earth. The aim is to keep the program running and expanding for decades. The big question is about the speed of its growth and its effectiveness as a tool that helps people track and learn about earth’s climate and stabilization.
Are widgets available for websites with a security certificate?
Yes. This can be set up on request for a moderate fee. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to discuss.
How can I help sustain and grow the widget program?
The best way is to use a widget.
In case you want to do more than that, here are some options:
Financial donations may be sent by cheque to “Pro Oxygen” at the mailing address on the contact page. Electronically, donations can be emailed to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. (e.g. via PayPal or Interac). (And thank you!)
Volunteer proposals to join the effort and help run, improve or promote the widget program are welcome.
Opportunities to sponsor a widget exist. If this is of interest, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to discuss.
Source Data
-
Why use CO2 readings from Mauna Loa?
About a hundred stations measure CO2 with high-precision instruments at different latitudes on earth. Together, they produce data that improves our understanding of how the global carbon cycle and earth system work. For a few good reasons, Show.earth and CO2.earth feature readings from the Mauna Loa Observatory (MLO) as global indicators of planetary health.
Measurements of CO2 at Mauna Loa began in March 1958. The cumulative record is now the longest continuous record of direct ‘in situ’ measurement of CO2 in the air. The Observatory is located near the top of the world’s largest mountain in the middle of the world’s largest ocean. At 3400 metres above sea level, the location is remote and potential local influences of vegetation and human activity are minimal. Since 1974, two independent monitoring programs have been operated (Scripps and NOAA) with precise instruments that are frequently calibrated.
Atmospheric CO2 is the chief greenhouse gas caused by human activities that affects climates that species and ecosystems are accustomed to. Despite some variations in the level and amplitude at different latitudes, atmospheric CO2 is rising at essentially the same rate everywhere on earth. Thus, changes measured at Mauna Loa are not simply local phenomena. They show a trend that is planetary in scope and existential in significance.
NOAA-ESRL How we measure background CO2 on Mauna Loa
CDIAC Atmospheric CO2 record from Mauna Loa
Isn’t Mauna Loa a CO2-emitting volcano?
Yes. Volcanoes blow out CO2 from time to time. This can interfere with the readings. However, scientists easily distinguish well-mixed air from air with local contamination whether it is from volcanoes or another source. Questionable readings are easily excluded from the CO2 record.
Why does CO2 rise and fall?
Great question!
Most land and vegetation on earth is located in the Northern Hemisphere. At northern latitudes, large temperature changes between summer and winter result in large seasonal changes in vegetation growth. This causes pronounced seasonal swings in atmospheric CO2 concentrations, especially at higher, northern latitudes. The seasonal CO2 cycle are easily seen in the CO2 readings from Mauna Loa. They peak in May and temporarily decline as plant activity consumes CO2 from the air for growth and reproduction. This trend reverses in September or October when vegetation in the North stops consuming CO2 from the air.
Keeling Curve Why seasonal CO2 fluctuations are strong in the north?
Keeling Curve Why does atmospheric CO2 peak in May?
Can posted data be revised?
Yes. As a general rule of thumb, measurements for a time period of less than one year ago are considered preliminary. Scientists are continually re-calibrating instruments and readings against baseline reference gases. These quality checks commonly result in minor adjustments.
What is the data source?
Atmospheric CO2 measurements are made at the Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii, USA. Measurements are made by two independent programs: Scripps Institution of Oceanagraphy (Scripps-UCSD CO2 Program) since 1958 and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA (since 1974). CO2.earth and the Show.earth web Widget Program feature the readings released first by one of these atmosphere-monitoring institutions.
Timing
-
How often are widgets updated?
Monthly.
Which day of the month are updates made?
The date varies. It depends when scientists first release the latest monthly averages for atmospheric CO2. In the past, it has often taken 5 to 7 days after the end of the month. From time to time, updates have occurred in a day or two, and more than three weeks.
Users of a Show.earth widget can expect widgets on their site to update within 6 to 24 hours of when scientists release the latest monthly average.
Where can I find data for this month?
To get a monthly average, you need to wait until after the month ends. Scientists calculate the monthly average after all available data has been recorded. When you see the CO2 average for last month, you are looking at the most current data available.
Are widgets available for weekly CO2 or daily CO2 readings?
Data is available and kept current at CO2.earth. However, widgets with daily and weekly readings are not maintained at this time:
Daily CO2 data NOAA-ESRL + Scripps Keeling Curve + CO2.earth
Weekly CO2 data NOAA-ESRL + Scripps CO2 Program + CO2.earth
CO2.earth produces a weekly CO2 update that is used in a community television broadcast in Colorado, USA. A copy of this graphic is available by email request. If you want to commission a daily or weekly widget, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to discuss.